Hold on: Harbaugh unhappy with physical play of Seattle corners

Seattle cornerback Richard Sherman breaks up a pass intended for Randy Moss on Thursday. (Beck Diefenbach/Special To The Chronicle)

In 2007, then-Stanford coach Jim Harbaugh suspended Richard Sherman for one game after the sophomore was called for a personal-foul penalty and began screaming at teammates on the sideline during a loss against Washington.

Five years later, Harbaugh doesn’t want his former player suspended, merely flagged on occasion.

Sherman’s latest transgression in Harbaugh’s view: Holding the 49ers receivers during San Francisco’s 13-6 win against the Seahawks on Thursday night.

Sherman and Brandon Browner, Seattle’s big-bodied starting cornerbacks, are both known for their physical play and Harbaugh claimed both went too far Thursday. San Francisco’s wideouts had six catches for 63 yards on 14 targets.

With an eye toward the teams’ second meeting on Dec. 23 in Seattle, Harbaugh began his campaign to get his wideouts more breathing room in Week 16. Asked about his wide receivers getting “locked up” with the Seahawks corners, Harbaugh took exception to the phrase and said he’d follow up with the NFL office.

“Well, I wouldn’t use the words ‘locked up,’” he said. “There’s another word I would use. But, we’ll take that up with the officials in New York, and get their view of it. That’s the only position that we can be in.”

Harbaugh said he wanted clarity on what Seattle’s corners could get away with in coverage before the teams met again.

“Yeah, I think that’s just an important thing to address,” Harbaugh said. “I mean, what is this all being defined as? Is it physical play? Is it within the rules? I think that’s the biggest question, is it within the rules what’s happening? We have to ask that question. We have to know what the interpretation is.”

Of course, many will find Harbaugh’s outrage amusing given his response last week to Giants offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride, who said 49ers defensive tackle Justin Smith “gets away with murder” in holding offensive linemen. In a statement, Harbaugh said it was “obvious that he Giants coaching staff’s sole purpose is to use their high visibility to both criticize and influence officiating.”

At least one person thinks Harbaugh’s complaints are a source of entertainment. Seahawks wide receiver Doug Baldwin, who also played under Harbaugh at Stanford, wrote on Twitter: “Jim said Sherm and BB were playing too rough. Hahahahahahahahahahahahahaaahahahhahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha”